Hi, friends! I’ve finally emerged from the rock I’ve been hiding under for the last week (hence being blinded). Did you miss me? I missed you. To ease back into blogging here’s a quick round-up of what’s gone on since we last chatted:
Our loan has been approved (YAY!!) and we’ve increased our earnest money payment to 10% of the purchase price. Basically, we put down a small amount when we made an offer on the house to show the seller that we were serious and interested. If we walked away from the house, the seller would get the money. If the offer wasn’t accepted or a contract wasn’t finalized, we would get that money back.
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| Another sneak peak: the argyle garage |
Since the offer was accepted, we entered the attorney review period. The attorneys reviewed the contract and we hashed out the details of how home inspection issues would be addressed and remedied. In our case, the seller has agreed to fix everything we requested from the home inspection (none were serious safety concerns). Five days after the attorney review period, earnest money needs to be increased to 10%. The increase in earnest money provides the seller with additional security and assurance that we will buy the house. And rightfully so, 10% is a lot of money for John and I to walk away from! Fortunately, all of our earnest money go towards our final down payment of 20%.
What else is up?
I bought a case of apple cinnamon Carb BOOM! energy gels for long runs and upcoming half marathons. I’ve tried different brands and flavors and this is my favorite. It tastes like apple pie filling :) Plus, the St. Louis half marathon is next weekend and I ran 10 miles with Jess on Saturday. I registered for STL to stay active during the winter, so I’m not planning on a super time. And I haven’t really tapered. I’m going to run the Cleveland half marathon in May and plan to taper then.
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Stephanie and I met up for coffee and breakfast at Floriole. The quiche and latte were great and the conversation was even better! She lent me “The Happiness Project” recently and I’ve really enjoyed reading it. Have you read it? Gretchen Rubin makes monthly resolutions and tries all sorts of different ways to increase her happiness. One thing she did was start a blog because research shows that novelty and challenge make people happier.
Maintaining a blog can definitely be a challenge, but I enjoy sharing my knowledge and experiences. Plus, I get to meet new friends and “hang out” with all of you. Why did you start blogging?
I had a great time with you Friday morning! I always walk away inspired and motivated! I’ll have to tell Jon about the Carb BOOM for when he’s training (and maybe for me!) :)
Hooray for you and your house! And I am super impressed that you not only signed up for a race to keep in shape during the winter, but that you actually did it. I tend to sign up for things and then just run even though I’m in terrible shape. Not nearly as much fun.
Stephanie – Yes! Can’t wait for the next time we get together. Local running stores might carry Carb BOOM! but I’ve found better prices at runningwarehouse.com
Lu – Thanks! Not only do I register for races to make sure I stay active, but I also do it because I love food. I eat good food so I can run, and I run so I can eat good food.